Question 56-60
         Researchers in the field of psychology have found that one of the best ways to make animportant decision, such as choosing a university to attend or a business to invest in, involves theutilization of a decision worksheet. Psychologists who study optimization compare the actualdecisions made by people to theoretical ideal decisions to see how similar they are. Proponents ofthe worksheet procedure believe that it will yield optimal, that is, the best decisions. Worksheetsrequire defining the problem in a clear and concise way and then listing all possible solutions to theproblem. Next, the pertinent considerations that will be affected by each decision are listed, and therelative importance of each consideration or consequence is determined. Each consideration isassigned a numerical value to reflect its relative importance. A decision is mathematically calculatedby adding these values together. The alternative with the highest number of points emerges as thebest decision.
          Since most important problems are multifaceted, there are several alternatives to choose from,each with unique advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of a pencil and paper decisionmaking procedure is that it permits people to deal with more variables than their minds can generallycomprehend and remember. On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds atonce. A worksheet can be especially useful when the decision involves a large number of variableswith complex relationships. A realistic example for many college students is the question "What willI do after graduation?" A graduate might seek a position that offers specialized training, pursue anadvanced degree, or travel abroad for a year. A decision-making worksheet begins with a succinctstatement of the problem that will also help to narrow it. With an appropriate decision, a graduatingstudent might revise the question above to "What will I do after graduation that will lead tosuccessful career?".
【題組】56. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) A tool to assist in making complex decisions.
(B) A comparison of actual decisions and ideal decisions.
(C) Research on how people make decisions.
(D) Differences between long-range and short-range decision making.